


Slow Night

by underwaternature



Category: Super Smash Brothers
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Insomnia, Late Night Conversations, mentions/references to ptsd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-15 21:53:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18507814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/underwaternature/pseuds/underwaternature
Summary: It’s the middle of the night and Lucina can’t sleep. Richter finds her and sticks around.





	Slow Night

Lucina was well aware that she was an insomniac of sorts. It was less that she wouldn’t fall asleep but rather couldn’t, the particular feeling of restlessness and the occasional haunting dream that would plague her from time to time.

She took comfort in the quiet of the night. It was easier to think and collect her thoughts. Sometimes she would be alone, other times not, and this time it was the former. The old grandfather clock on the other side of the room ticked on and on, the low sound becoming a constant in the background. The swordswoman sat on the couch, cross-legged, leaning back on the cushion as she became lost in her thoughts.

Her thoughts were more or less something to keep her occupied. She thought about waiting until sleepiness happened to come by, but at the moment she was fine with sitting in silence for the most part. There was a doubles match she was scheduled to take part in later the next day; it’d be unwise for her to stay up too late and not get enough sleep. Still, a part of her was scared of her nightmares returning and she didn’t feel all that ready to deal with them again just yet.

She couldn’t quite tell how long she spent alone in the mansion living room at that point. Thirty minutes? An hour? In spite of the time she hadn’t quite begun to feel tired at all. Lucina curled up on the couch, repositioning herself so that she was staring up at the blank ceiling. She could try to simply head back to her room and lie down in her bed. Maybe then she’ll get some rest.

The sound of dull footsteps on wooden floorboards alerted her that someone else was coming. She sat upright, her mind wondering on who it could be. It wasn’t surprising that someone else may be awake during the night; she knew of other fighters that would also have trouble finding sleep, even running into them at times. She waited, expecting someone she had seen around before.

Nope. From around the corner appeared Richter, looking tired but not-quite at the same time. Lucina never thought of him as the type to wander the halls during the night, but who was she to judge? Their eyes met, and she could tell that, like herself, he hadn’t expected her to be there. The swordswoman offered a small wave and a smile. She received a lopsided grin in return.

She watched as he took his seat in the armchair near her quietly. The chair creaked slightly as he did, and there were a few seconds of comfortable silence between them. Lucina tucked in her legs and wrapped her arms around them.

“What brings you here?” she asked him. Her voice was low, as to not disturb the peace of the night. Richter made a small sheepish smile in response, looking off to the side.

“Couldn’t sleep I guess,” he replied in an equally low tone. “Sometimes I have nights were I have energy left over and so...” He trailed off but Lucina figure out what he meant. “You?”

“...Dreams, I suppose.”

He didn’t respond, understanding.

They fell into silence again. Lucina huddled her body close and leaned into the couch cushions, trying to find a comfortable position again. She was wearing a navy blue jacket, not exactly the comfiest but was still warm all the same. Her hands were hidden in its sleeves, and she let herself be immersed in her thoughts as she laid there.

Then, she heard Richter ask, “Are you cold or something?” Turning her head around to face him, she shook her head but gave a neutral hum afterwards.

“I guess... But it’s not a big deal,” she simply said.

She blinked in confusion when she watched him get up and take a seat next to her on the couch. He tugged on her sleeve and she sat upright on the couch, to then she felt herself leaning against his shoulder. It was warmer than she thought, and the hoodie he wore felt pretty cozy too.

“That better?” She could hear the smile in his voice.

“Maybe,” Lucina mumbled into his clothes, and she could feel him shake as he suppressed laughter. In response she swatted a hand against his chest which only made him laugh harder, with a few silent gasping breaths coming from him.

It wasn’t long before she settled against him, having relaxed into the position. At some point, Richter slipped his hand into hers and intertwined their fingers. Lucina smiled.

Time passed by further in relative silence. The two stayed like that for a while together, with Lucina’s head leaning onto him and Richter’s resting on top of hers. It wasn’t until the swordswoman barely held in a yawn was when she realized how tired she had gotten. She sat upright, or the best she could manage with a portion of his weight against her. After surveying their surroundings for a moment, she tried to shake him awake.

“Richter, we need to get back to our rooms...” she started. She thought it would be best to head back to their rooms before they’d end up with cricks in their necks in the morning. She then realized that the vampire hunter had already fallen fast asleep. He leaned on the back cushions of the couch, and soft snores could be heard from him. Lucina held back a chuckle.

“Richter, c’mon...” She gently tried to shake him awake once more, but alas it was to no avail. She sighed with a smile—she wasn’t annoyed or anything like that. Admitting defeat, she briefly thought about what to do next. She could head back to her room by herself, but then she’d feel terrible leaving him here... Plus, they were in a relatively comfortable spot already, and Richter appeared to be fine with it.

Well, one night wouldn’t hurt. Lucina snuggled back into her place, curling up her body and lifting her legs up onto the couch. She leaned her head on his chest and closed her eyes. It wasn’t long before the tensions released from her body, and she slowly drifted off into sleep.

* * *

 

Marth yawned into his hand as he quietly walked down the halls of the mansion. It was early morning—early enough that many others were most likely still asleep. He was one of the only morning people residing in the building, and as a reward the prince was able to have some quiet time before the usual loud chaos arrived in the later parts of the day.

What he didn’t expect, however, was the sound of snoring coming from around the corner in the living room. He assumed that someone stayed up late, like Samus or Link, and decided to crash on the couch. It was what he expected when he rounded the corner to see the answer himself.

In reality, what he got was his granddaughter huddled up against Simon’s grandson, both of them sleeping soundly. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Their limbs were somewhat sprawled and tangled, either on each other or on other parts of the couch. Lucina’s hair was a mess from an obvious bedhead, and a little bit of drool dribbled down Richter’s cheek.

Marth put his hands on his hips and exhaled slowly, a small smile tugging on his lips. “You’re gonna get sore like that, you know?” he said, despite knowing that they wouldn’t hear him. Even if they looked blissfully at peace as they slept it was still their fault they were gonna get stiff necks when they woke up.

**Author's Note:**

> hello y’all i’m back with some more rarepair content. i’m so deep help and this is super self-indulgent can you tell (also happy early bday Lucina)


End file.
